Horn questioned his food intake in the hours leading up to the fight and said he felt sluggish during the bout.

"'I felt like I couldn't get my shots off, they weren't landing as good as I wanted, it was frustrating me from pretty much the beginning," he said.

Rushton said Horn had just an eight-week preparation after taking three weeks off for the birth of his second child and needed everything to go right, but suffered from sniffles and a sore throat last Monday.

"I don't want to use the excuse 'I've been sick'. All props to Michael Zerafa for winning the fight," Horn said.

Zerafa dictated terms with his jab and right hand and rarely allowed Horn to pressure him inside, though he admitted he was hurt by a shot in the third round.

Michael Zerafa knocks down Jeff Horn in the Battle of Bendigo.Image: Getty